Connecticut western news., 1887-11-02
KEEP YOUR PROMISE. !"

OoluHlouore fduucrDllt, lS moSC peO- pie know, dil not take very kindly to removing from Staten Island to New York City, when his affairs began to prosper but was compelled to do SO in order to be near his busin ess. He bought a house just in the outskirts of the city where he thought he could be sure of comparative quiet. He found a com fortable place close by a graveyard, with not many houses about him and settled down.
 The first night he spent in the new place was terrible revelation to hlm. Instead of the absolutely quiet surround ings of his island home, he had an at mosphere vocal with the ye Ills of what seemed thousand cats. The neighbor- hood must have been, he was convinced, favorite resort for all the cats in the city. They rendezvoused in the grave yard, and focked on hls back fence, and perched on his shed roof and cater wauled madly all night long. He slept scarcely five minutes at time. The next night it was repeated and the next. Instead of getting used to it the con- modore was getting more and more ner- vous and slept less and less. The wear and tear began to tell on him.
 Vanderbilt had his boots blacked every morning by lad who had sta toned his box not far away, making an arrangement with the boy in order to get the shine reasonably cheap. One morning he sat down in the boys chair with such weary air and with so hag- gard look on his face that the boy asked sympathetically- ..
 'Wot's de matter, customer2"
 The commodore, for want of better confidant, opened hls heart to the boot black and told him the narrowing tale of the cats.
 ''Wot II yer give me, boss" said the boy, eff I'll clean out all de cats fol youT'
 'What I'll give youa Why, I'll give you dollar apiece for every cat you kill in my yard," said the commodore.
 "All right, customer" said the boot black, '1'll be there tonight"
 That night the commodore slept as he had not slept since he left Staten Island. H woke in the morning with the de'ightful sense of having slept only about fifteen minutes, and yet knowin 2 that he had slept soundly all night. When he went out he found his boot black sitting on the front step.
 ''How d you sleep, boss?" asked tho boy.
 "splendidly, young man, splendidly } ''Hear any cats?" ''Not Q cat. How much do I owt you2"
 "Come round in the back yard an we'll see," said the boy. They went around to the back yard. There were two ough-looking young | SeOiS oiltiuS Ou lilC 1cuCC, duu Ou tu' ground was a pile of dead cats that made the commodore turn pale.
 "For heavens sake, how many cat have you there?' he gasped.
 "We'll t'row lem over in another pile boss," said the bootblack, 'an' you Xiii score lem up."
 The boy began to toss the cats owe deliberately, and the commodore counted until he had got up to fifty. Then h called out
 'Hold on! That'n do. See here I'll give you three fellows just five dol lars apiece. That's big pay for night work"
 'Can't do it, boss" said the boot black, .1've made de arrangement wi desc gentlemen here, aa' de understand ing is dollar apiece for de cats"
 ''Well, I won't give you lut five dol lars each all around" said the commo dore.
 He pulled out the money and shoo it in their faces, but the boys refused t take it. Finally they withdrew in S lenee, leaving the commodore, arouse and ill-natured, with his cats. The formed resolve to ''tget even wit him,n and made their plans accord